Specter
by stella-pegasi
Summary: Halloween is days away, and someone on Atlantis is in the spirit of the holiday.


**Title:** **Specter**

**Author**: _stella_pegasi_

**Rating: **K+

**Genres: **Action, Whump (a little bit)

**Word Count: **8212

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Minor language, little bit of whump…

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, others

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Summary:** Halloween is days away, and someone on Atlantis is in the _spirit_ of the holiday.

**Author's Notes:** I **LOVE** Halloween, it's my favorite holiday, so I had to make it Sheppard's as well. I offer this story a way to wish all of you a Happy Halloween or at least, a wonderful Autumn!

Let me know what you think…always love to hear from you!

(P.S. If you are waiting for the next chapter of _Remember Atlantis_…it's coming in a couple of days.)

**

* * *

**

* * *

**Specter**

_By stella_pegasi_

It was past midnight. At 0000 hours, lights across the public areas of Atlantis reverted to night mode; the crew quarters switched at 2200. Only ambient light from the control room consoles, and the dim glow emanating from the wall sconces provided any illumination to the control and gate room areas. Even the silver shimmer from the twin moons orbiting the planet was shrouded by ominous dark clouds.

Marine Sergeant Vince Canelli and three of his teammates were on graveyard gate duty. Canelli, along with the two Marine corporals and the lone airman on his squad, had drawn gate duty for the month. He was counting down the hours for the remaining two days of their duty period. Being on duty during the middle of the night didn't bother Canelli; being bored, however, bothered him, a lot.

Liang Wu, the night gate tech, leaned over the balcony railing, holding a coffee cup. "Hey, guys, fresh pot of coffee in the conference room, and the mess just called. They're bringing food; Colonel Sheppard ordered pizza for us tonight."

Canelli threw Liang thumbs up, then motioned for his squad to get coffee if they wanted. He smiled as he thought about the pizza delivery. Colonel Sheppard never forgot the graveyard squads. Every so often, he had food sent to them, or he, Major Lorne or one of the other majors or captains would stop by during the wee hours to check on them. Canelli knew they weren't checking to see if they were derelict in their duties; their CO wanted them to know they were valued. Valued enough for the Atlantis 'brass' to make certain they were aware of that fact, regardless of the hour.

Airman Dawson and Corporal Mendez had gone for coffee, and Corporal Hawkins was doing a perimeter check of the short hallways around the gate room. It was quiet, so quiet that Canelli could hear the quiet hum of the consoles in the control room. He was pacing around the gate when he heard another sound…a low moan. At first he thought he was imagining the deep, rattling groan, but it became more pronounced as he circled back toward the gate. He stopped abruptly, tracking the direction of the sound. He realized the deep moaning sound was coming from the stargate, directly in front of him. However, there was nothing in front of the gate. Nothing until he realized there was a faint silvery blue glow on the deck. Gazing upward, he stumbled backward quickly, away from the gate. Above him, floating in front of the stargate was a large, shimmery apparition dressed in a hooded cloak. Canelli didn't remember much after that.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

"You're telling me that there is nothing wrong with Sergeant Canelli."

"That is exactly what I am saying, John; there is nothing wrong with the sergeant." Dr. Ross Warren sat down at his desk, tossing his notebook onto the desktop. "Carson put him through a battery of tests, including the Ancient scanner, and I put him through the wringer…grilled him pretty hard. Both of us came up with no plausible explanation, medical or psychological, as to why the sergeant says he saw a ghost."

Sheppard sat back in one of the deep, comfortable chairs that Warren had insisted on having in his office. The base psychologist once told Sheppard he preferred his patients comfortable when he was probing their psyches. Drumming his fingers on the wide arm of the chair, Sheppard thought a minute before he replied.

"Ross, I spoke to Major Waters, his CO. Canelli's new and he has been assigned to Waters for evaluation before we assign him to a permanent team. Waters says the kid has good instincts and temperament; and may want to assign him to his own team to fill Gonzales's slot."

"Isn't that the Marine that got injured last month?"

Sheppard nodded, "Yeah. We got word a couple of days ago from the SGC. Dr. Lam says his recovery is going to be long term. If he decides not to take a medical discharge, Landry's going to keep him at the SGC in an admin role, once he's back to active duty. Good Marine, hated to lose him this way. By the same token, if Waters thinks highly enough of Canelli to want him to replace Gonzales, then I am inclined to believe that the sergeant saw a ghost."

Warren pushed away from his desk, spinning his chair to face a small refrigerator in the corner, pulling out a couple of bottles of water, he tossed one to Sheppard and turned back around to face him.

"John, you aren't serious, are you? I mean, a ghost?"

Sheppard uncapped his water and drank before he answered. "It's Atlantis, anything's possible around here; hell, it could be ascended Ancients for all we know."

"Well, I haven't been here all that long, but I've read all most all the mission reports. I suppose a ghost would be one of the least unusual things around here."

Chuckling, Sheppard nodded, "That's an understatement."

Ross sighed, "My professional opinion is that Sergeant Vincent Canelli is perfectly sane, not delusional in any way, knows right from wrong, yada, yada, yada."

"Can I quote you on the 'yada, yada, yada' part, doc?" Sheppard was grinning.

"Go, right ahead; makes as much sense as anything else."

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

Canelli was in his quarters when Sheppard caught up with him. Major Teldy had been on call for incidents overnight, and had been suspicious of Canelli's 'vision' as she called it. She had decided that Canelli was exhausted, and didn't notify either Sheppard or Lorne about the situation. They both learned about it from the overnight logs.

Sheppard activated the chime with a thought. The door to the double room that Canelli shared with Sergeant Harrington slid open. Sgt. Harrington nodded to Sheppard, hastily retreating from the room, leaving the colonel and Canelli alone.

Canelli rose, coming to attention as his CO entered the room. Smiling, Sheppard said, "At ease, sergeant, please sit back down." As the noticeably apprehensive Marine sat down, Sheppard sat on Harrington's bunk.

"So, have you seen anything scary lately, sergeant?" A panicked expression crossed Canelli's face until he realized that Sheppard was grinning. He visibly relaxed.

"Yes, sir; I saw Sergeant Johnston nearly naked when I was in the infirmary, sir. He was having his broken leg set after sparring with Ronon. That was scary." He grinned, but appeared ready to grimace, if Sheppard failed to find humor in his comment.

Sheppard, however, chuckled heartily, as a vision of the 6'5" 250 pound Marine flickered in his head. "That image terrifies me simply thinking about it, sergeant. Now, tell me about what occurred last night."

"Not much to tell, sir. Liang had just informed us there was a fresh pot of coffee in the conference room, and that pizza was coming. Hawkins was conducting a perimeter check. Dawson and Mendez headed upstairs for coffee, everyone within a fifteen second deployment zone if the gate should activate. The gate and control rooms were extremely quiet, until I heard a low moan. I searched for the source of the noise, and determined it was coming from the direction of the stargate. I looked, but I didn't see anything at first, then noticed a pale blue glow on the deck." The sergeant took a breath before he continued, " I looked up and suspended above me, just in front of the gate was this glowy blue thing. The outline of a person, dressed in a hooded cloak, arms outstretched, with extremely large hands. The thing was thin, wispy, like I could reach right through it. The moan was definitely coming from the apparition, sir." He stopped, evidently waiting for Sheppard to react.

"How long was this 'apparition' visible?" Sheppard asked.

"For approximately ten seconds after I saw it, sir. By the time I reacted, and the others came running, it had disappeared."

Sheppard didn't respond, which seemingly unnerved Canelli. He started stammering, "Look. sir; I'm not crazy. I know what I saw. I saw, for the sake of convenience, what I'll call a ghost, but I saw it, sir. I didn't imagine this."

"I believe you saw exactly what you reported, sergeant. Now we just have to determine what it was that you saw." Sheppard rose to leave, adding, "Dr. Ross and Dr. Beckett have cleared you for active duty. So, unless you don't feel up to it, you're back on gate detail. You OK with that?"

Canelli smiled, "Yes, sir; thank you, sir."

"Good, sergeant; get some rest, and if you see 'Casper" tonight, contact me immediately."

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

"Ghosts...you are kidding me. What kind of idiot thinks he sees ghosts on Atlantis?"

"Canelli saw something last night; whether it was a ghost or whatever, is anyone's guess." Sheppard swallowed a mouthful of his chicken pot pie, then shoved his fork through the air toward Rodney. "Rodney, we've seen far more bizarre crap, since we arrived in Pegasus. That's a fact you can't deny. Beckett and Ross cleared Canelli to return to active duty. The sergeant is as sane as we are."

Seeing Ronon's eyebrow raise at that comment, Sheppard shrugged, "Well, maybe that was a bad analogy. Regardless, Canelli saw something."

"John, it is less than two days until your annual Halloween party. You told us that pranks are played during this Earth celebration. Perhaps Sgt. Canelli is simply in the 'spirit' of the holiday." Teyla's face was so serious that Sheppard suppressed the urge to laugh at her spirit reference.

"Normally, I'd think that, but this is a young man who says he wants to be a career Marine. He is not about to jeopardize his career by playing a prank while he's on duty, especially gate duty. No, he saw something."

"Well, he probably had some of Zelenka's rot gut brew and was still hallucinating." Rodney mumbled, his mouth full.

They were all laughing at Rodney, when Sheppard and McKay's COMS activated, Richard Woolsey's voice popped into their ears. "Colonel, Dr. McKay, please report to the Biochemistry lab. We've had another ghost sighting."

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

Dr. Henry Hodes arrived on Atlantis two years before to work in Dr. Mosten's biochemistry department. The young biochemist was a quiet, nice, normal geek, who loved to play video games in his off time. However, when Sheppard and McKay arrived at the lab, Henry Hodes was clearly embarrassed.

Dr. Radek Zelenka was standing over Hodes, who was slumped in a chair, head between his knees. Zelenka was holding an emergency oxygen mask in his hand attempting to secure it to Hodes' face. A few questionable Czech words spilled from Zelenka's mouth as he asked Hodes to raise his head, without response from the scientist. Richard Woolsey was standing to the side, looking most uncomfortable.

"Richard, what happened?" Sheppard asked as he entered the lab.

Woolsey jumped like he had seen a ghost when he heard Sheppard's voice. "Colonel, I…what is going on here? Dr. McKay, do you have any ideas?" Woolsey was uncharacteristically unnerved.

McKay glared at Woolsey, an expression of total disbelief evident on his face. "Why would I have any ideas about what is going on here. I'm an astrophysicist, not a ghostbuster." He threw up his hands, then plopped down on a stool next to the workbench.

Sheppard gave McKay a snarky look, then turned back to Woolsey, "Has Hodes told you what he saw?" Woolsey shook his head no.

Sheppard dragged a chair from a desk and placed it in front of the biochemist. Sitting down, he purposely kept his voice low as he asked, "Dr. Hodes, can you tell us what happened here?"

Hodes slowly reacted to the colonel's question. "I'm sorry, colonel; I have never been so startled in my life. I am quite embarrassed; I think I passed out for a moment. I was running assays on some material collected by the botany department, and I heard this moaning noise. It sounded like it was coming from the corridor. I shrugged it off, and was setting up another set of assays when the moan returned, louder this time. So I decided to check it out. I walked into the hallway and nearly walked into this huge blue glowy figure wearing a cloak with a hood. It was quite unnerving, colonel." Hodes shuddered, deciding a gulp of oxygen was what he needed. He snatched the mask from Zelenka's hand and placed it over his face. While he was taking his fill of oxygen, Sheppard looked at McKay.

"McKay, do you think you could possibly humor me, and pretend to be interested in what's happening here? Maybe you could wave the LSD around, or another of your other toys just to see if you can figure this out."

McKay glared at Sheppard before he spoke. "Oh, yeah, something happens out of the ordinary, and automatically what do you do. You turn to the science genius to figure it out."

"What else are you here for?" Sheppard cocked his head and put on his most charming smile. However, McKay knew the smile was really a smirk in disguise.

"OK, I'll take some scientific readings. I am so going to win the Noble Prize with my 'Specters in Atlantis' paper." He made a production of rising and heading into the corridor, pulling out his LSD as he exited the room. Sheppard smiled as McKay exited the room.

Waiting until McKay left the room, Zelenka then spoke, his accent quite pronounced, "Colonel, my lab is around corner. I heard Hodes scream, and I came to see what was happening. I saw a faint blue glow in corridor, but did not see a figure of any kind."

Sheppard chuckled, "You didn't want to tell me that in front of McKay, did you?"

Zelenka looked somewhat embarrassed, but nodded in agreement with Sheppard's question. Sheppard slapped him on the shoulder, "I won't tell. Contact me directly if you see anything else. Radek, if you would, take Dr. Hodes to the infirmary, and get him checked out."

Radek agreed to accompany the biochemist to the infirmary and Sheppard turned to Woolsey. "Well, Richard…looks like we have a gho..." Before Sheppard could finish, a blood curdling scream came from the hallway. Sheppard ran out the door; Woolsey, reluctantly, followed.

As Woolsey stepped into the corridor, he saw McKay running after Sheppard. The colonel was moving so fast he had to grab the edge of the wall, sliding more than running around the corner toward the scream.

As Woolsey turned the corner, he saw Dr. Miko Kusanagi, a member of McKay's science department, lying on the floor, surrounded by scattered pieces of ancient equipment. Sheppard bent down to see if she was injured. Apparently, assured that she wasn't hurt, he helped her to her feet. She grabbed Sheppard holding on for dear life, until she spotted McKay. Pushing Sheppard sharply away, she grabbed her department head in a bear hug. McKay looked at Sheppard, pleading for assistance.

"Some help here, Sheppard"

Knowing the little scientist had a "soft spot" for McKay, Sheppard grinned. "You need to take care of your people, Rodney." His words elicited a very pissed off look from McKay, which made Sheppard's grin turn to a big smile.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

The conference room was hushed, As if everyone seated at the large mahogany table thought by remaining quiet, they would hear the ghost. It was nearing midnight; eleven hours had passed since Dr. Kusanagi saw the ghost.

Sheppard was recounting the events from lunch time, starting with Dr. Hodes and then Dr. Kusanagi's sighting. It had taken a few minutes for Kusanagi to calm down. Sheppard doing more to calm her than McKay did, but her story was similar to both Sgt. Canelli's and Dr. Hode's. She had just stepped into the hallway when she heard a soft groan, looking behind her, she saw a blue apparition floating above her. The description she gave matched the other two sightings.

"So, after Dr. Kusanagi's experience, we have had how many more sightings?" Woolsey asked.

Major Lorne, who had been placed in command of the investigation, much to his noticeable chagrin, spoke up. "Sir, we have nine confirmed sightings of the blue ghost. In addition, three sightings of a new ghost…a mummy that is walking the corridors, simply appears, then disappears a few seconds later. It has, however, walked through a couple of people; Airman Coburn reported feeling a tingling feeling as it passed through."

Woolsey turned to look at Dr. McKay, "Doctor, I asked this question earlier today. What is going on?"

McKay glanced up from his laptop, rolling his eyes. "Just call me Dr. Stantz." Stabbing his finger into the air, he turned his attention back to his laptop screen.

"Who is Dr. Stantz? Is he a scientist who is an expert on these kinds of events?" Woolsey asked somewhat confused.

Sheppard laughed. "Dr. McKay is referring to a character from "Ghostbusters". When Woolsey continued to appear confused, Sheppard explained further, "It's a movie from the 1980's." Woolsey shook his head, and Sheppard decided the director remained confused.

Rodney's head popped up from behind his laptop, "OK, people; Zelenka and his team have been taking readings in the sighting areas. We got lucky on the last sighting. Zelenka's team got to the site just seconds after the…uh…thing disappeared. We got some residual readings, electromagnetic in nature. And before you go and get all excited, there are other explanations for spikes in the EM field…it's not always because there are ghosts in the area." The cynicism in his voice was evident.

Sheppard leaned back in his chair while Rodney was talking, crossing his arms across his chest. "The readings Zelenka got, any explainable cause for them?"

McKay looked sheepish. "No, there are some electrical conduits in the area, but current flow during that timeframe was consistent. The spikes were not from that energy source."

Woolsey pursed his lips, "Colonel. I want personnel posted in the inhabited areas of the base. Doctor, can you provide devices for them to measure any activity should one of these 'ghosts' appear?"

"Actually, Zelenka is placing sensors around the base to do just that. There has to be some kind of plausible explanation causing this. We simply have to find it."

"Could somebody be projecting these, uh…ghosts, McKay." Sheppard asked.

McKay shrugged, "We haven't found any evidence of any projection devices or anything that would suggest they're being projected. It's like they appeared from thin air."

"So they could be ghosts?" Ronon asked quietly.

McKay looked at Ronon and didn't say anything; neither did anyone else.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

Sheppard headed for his quarters after checking with Sgt. Canelli and his gate duty squad. He was still chuckling over Canelli's teammates; they were merciless, calling Canelli, 'Sgt. Casper Canelli' every time they addressed him. He was extremely impressed by the sergeant's patience level; he would have probably shot his own team by now.

Unconsciously sending a command to Atlantis to open his door, he walked into his quarters. He glanced around anxiously, then felt foolish when he realized he was looking for ghosts. Halloween was one of his favorite times of the year, by far his favorite holiday. However, he had never believed in ghosts and goblins. Now he was beginning to look for ethereal objects. He thought to himself, 'You need shore leave, Captain Kirk."

Peeling off his boots, then stripping off his BDU's, Sheppard headed for the bathroom. Stepping into the large shower, he stood motionless as the pulsating hot water, emerging from the abundant jets scattered around the stall massaged his tense muscles. Eventually, the tension in his body eased, and he thought the water flow off and the air jets on. He basked in the blast of hot air wafting across his skin.

Forcing himself to turn off the warm air, he stepped out into the cooler bathroom air, grabbing a towel. As he began to towel-dry his hair, he thought he heard a soft groan. He stood quietly for a moment, not certain what he had heard. When the sound floated toward him again, there was no mistaking it, it was a groan, and it was coming from inside his quarters.

Sheppard rushed into his bed chamber, coming face to face with the floating blue specter. There was something familiar about the image that disturbed him. He felt as if he had seen the ghost before. It hovered in the room for a moment, groaned again, then turned, disappearing through the solid door. Sheppard swiftly thought 'open' and ran through the door in pursuit.

The apparition was drifting slowly down the hallway outside Sheppard's quarters. Hearing footsteps behind him, he glanced back to see Dr. Zelenka and another scientist running toward him.

"Colonel, we were nearby; checking out another report of the ghost. The sensors near your quarters spiked, so we headed this way."

"So, you see it, too?" Sheppard asked skeptically.

"Yes, colonel, I see it." Radek replied as he continued to check data flowing from the sensors.

The blue apparition hovered for a short time. Then vanished instantly, leaving the men standing in the corridor. Radek cleared his throat, and spoke cautiously, "Colonel, that towel you have in your hand; you might want to wrap it around you."

Sheppard was puzzled for a moment, then felt heat flush through his body as he realized what Radek meant. Hastily, and quite embarrassed, he wrapped the towel around his waist.

"Radek, wait here; I'll be back in a sec." Sheppard sheepishly retreated to his quarters to get dressed.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

The night had been filled with ghost sightings. Sheppard and Zelenka chased ghosts through the corridors of Atlantis until daybreak. Specters of all kinds had begun to appear, the original blue specter, mummies, along with zombies and headless bodies, bodies dragging balls and chains. Sheppard was positive that he caught a glimpse of _Jason _scurrying around a corner.

Both he and Zelenka were tired and needed sleep. He contacted Lorne and McKay, told them to continue the search while they got some rest. McKay tried to be argumentative with him, but Sheppard just clicked off his com and headed for his quarters.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

Sheppard awoke shortly before noon, dressed hurriedly, contacting Rodney as he rushed out of his quarters. "McKay, need a status report."

His com cackled, "Nice of you to finally decide to join us, Zelenka's been up for hours."

"Probably because you woke him up. Where are you?"

"Currently, we are huddled in the conference room, hiding from ghosts."

"On my way, Sheppard out," as he walked down the corridor, he did a quick check. No, he didn't forget his pants this time.

Entering the conference room, he was greeted with a group of perplexed faces. "Hey, you guys look like you've seen a ghost…or two." He was grinning a tad mischievously.

"_Hardee har har_, colonel; we've been up to our noses in ghosts while you took your little nap."

"McKay, Zelenka and I spent the entire night chasing after these _ghosts_." He seemed to saying the word. "The images kept appearing in crew quarters, and around the base. It was very unnerving to a lot of people."

McKay grinned at Sheppard, a bit mischievously as well. "Are you certain they weren't just frightened by you barreling naked out of your quarters, colonel?"

Sheppard turned to Zelenka, who dropped his head abashedly, busying himself with his laptop. "Zelenka…," Sheppard said quietly. Zelenka, looked up, shrugged his shoulders, and buried his head in his laptop again.

Woolsey spoke, "Gentlemen, let's get back to business. It appears that the sightings have dissipated for now. We need answers; so far, these apparitions haven't caused any injury or damage. However, in light of the increasing number of incidents, I am concerned that it is a simply matter of time."

"Richard, this has to be a prank. I don't think anyone would do this maliciously."

Woolsey nodded, "I think you're correct, colonel. This is undoubtedly a prank, but a prank that is capable of bringing this base to a standstill. Everyone appears to be a great deal more interested in ghost watching than working."

McKay spoke. "After reviewing the data, we can deduce that these images are appearing out of thin air, and then blinking out as quickly. Only when they are visible is there any indication of energy, but the pattern is non-descriptive. It's like a thin picture projected into the air."

"You have no idea how these images are being projected, Dr. McKay? Woolsey inquired.

McKay shook his head and Zelenka answered, "When the colonel and I were chasing the images last night; we discovered that the energy levels increased exponentially as the number of sightings increased. However, searching for the energy source proved fruitless. It's as if they are appearing out of the walls."

Sheppard leaned forward to ask a question, choosing his words carefully. "Is there anyone on the science team that you believe would be capable of creating these images, and making them appear without a trace.?"

"Are you accusing the science staff?" McKay retorted.

Sheppard scoffed "I'm not accusing anyone, yet. However, do you really think the Marines did this?"

McKay slumped back in his chair; he didn't have a reply for the colonel's question. Sheppard didn't press him.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

The remainder of the afternoon was quiet. On the 30th of each month, end of the month backup, and routine diagnostics and maintenance were conducted from 1300 to 1700 hours. Everyone in operations, the science department, and military administration were fully engaged in securing data and completing preventative maintenance protocols.

Sheppard walked into Woolsey's office late in the afternoon, as the Atlantis director was putting the final touches on the day's report. Sheppard had just come from Lorne's office. His XO was responsible for the military computer system's backup; the process had gone well. He sat down in one of the armchairs across from Woolsey's desk.

"It's been quiet, not a ghost or goblin has shown itself this afternoon."

Woolsey looked up from his laptop, "It has been certainly been refreshing not to hear screaming this afternoon. I must say that I have kept glancing over my shoulder all day, expecting to see a goblin running toward me." He sighed and leaned back into his chair. "However, as this is Halloween 'Eve'. I am far from naïve to believe that we will be free of specters this evening."

"Probably not, but Zelenka and his team placed lot of sensors around the base. We're going to find out who did this. It has to be someone on Atlantis; everyone was involved in systems maintenance and there were no sightings. Someone was preoccupied and couldn't play."

Rubbing his forehead, Woolsey seemed lost in thought for a moment. Sheppard decided to let him ponder for a bit. When he spoke, Woolsey seemed hesitant, "Colonel, we could restrict personnel to quarters or gather them in the mess hall or gate room, while we try to get to the bottom of this."

It was Sheppard's turn to ponder for a moment. When he replied, he wasn't hesitant about Woolsey suggestion. "Richard, what good would that do, other than anger everyone, which I doubt you want to do. Look, so far, we are injury free; some people just a bit more startled than others. This base is full of scientists, trained to investigate the unknown, and special ops Marines and airmen. We should be able to handle a few 'ghosts' with little trouble. "

"I suppose you are right, but I just have a feeling that we've simply been lucky so far. I am afraid that isn't going to last."

"There's nothing wrong with a little 'Trick or Treat', as long as the trick is done in fun. Let's hope it stays that way. Think I'll go see if McKay and Zelenka have made any headway." He stood up, "Check with you later," and headed toward McKay's lab.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

When he arrived at McKay's lab, Sheppard found McKay and Zelenka bickering. They were arguing about the best way to flush out the source of the ghostly images. He stood in the doorway for several minutes before either scientist noticed him.

"What are you doing standing there, are you playing stealth soldier, Sheppard?" McKay sounded angry. Sheppard was fairly certain that McKay was simply frustrated. His crack science team had yet to figure out where the resident ghosts were coming from.

"No, just having fun watching the two of you bickering like an old married couple," he replied. Sheppard walked in the lab, sitting down on a stool across from Rodney. "I take it that you don't have a clue about what's going on?"

Zelenka answered. "Colonel, we have good data about the ghosts. They are definitely video images being projected, but we cannot isolate the source. The images appear out of thin air and then disappear into thin air."

Sheppard was quiet. Something was nagging at him, and he couldn't put his finger on what was disturbing him. He glanced over at Rodney who was pouring over data, concentrating as only Rodney could. McKay looked up, frowning when he saw Sheppard staring at him.

"What? You think we are always going to have answers. I have to tell you, this is baffling; it doesn't make sense. These images are coming from somewhere, and our sensors should be telling us from where and they are not."

"McKay, they have to be coming from…" his COM beeped, stopping him. Lt. Chuck Campbell, the senior gate tech was contacting him.

"Colonel Sheppard, we are receiving multiple reports of ghost sightings all over the base, sir. Mr. Woolsey requests you come to the control room, ASAP."

Sheppard tapped his earpiece, "On my way." He turned to McKay and Zelenka, "Come on, boys. It's time for an episode of Ghost Hunters." The colonel rushed out the door, the scientists on his six.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

For the next five hours, reports of multiple ghosts flooded in from all over Atlantis. Zelenka dispatched his teams out into the city, but the results were always the same. The ghosts appeared instantly, startling those around, and then winked out.

McKay was visibly angry. He slammed his tablet onto the table in the mess hall. He joined Sheppard and Ronon who had gone to grab a quick bite, hours after the regular dinner hour. "Damn it, where the hell are these things coming from."

Sheppard smiled, "McKay, calm down. This isn't a personal attack on your credibility…no one's keeping score." He grinned at Ronon, "However, last I looked, it was ghosts - 254 to McKay - 0. "

"Bite, me." McKay snapped.

Definitely, Sheppard thought, McKay was decidedly pissed off.

Ronon pushed a cupcake toward McKay, "Here, little man. This always makes you feel better." Sheppard laughed, and McKay glowered at the Satedan, but took the cupcake anyway.

Watching McKay for a moment, Sheppard could tell that the scientist was aggravated and puzzled. McKay aggravated wasn't unusual, puzzled was highly unusual. "Rodney, whoever is doing this is doing it in the spirit of fun; at least, I hope that's why. The good thing is that it's almost Halloween. This will be over soon."

McKay wasn't buying the argument. "I need to know who is doing this. If they can pull this off, they can do a lot of other things, and that's what scares me."

Sheppard shrugged. He couldn't argue with that logic. He was about to reply when Lorne's voice erupted in his ear.

"Colonel, come to crew quarters, Dr. Jeffers is hurt. He fell from the balcony; apparently, one of the ghosts was chasing him."

Sheppard sprang up from the table, "Let's go. We have our first injury." He left the mess hall at a dead run.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

When they arrived at the crew atrium, the EMT's were already there, Dr's Keller and Beckett arrived seconds later. Dr. Jeffer's had taken a bad fall from the balcony, and was unconscious.

Sheppard approached Lorne, "What the hell happened?"

Lorne shook his head. "Dr. Masuria said they had just left their lab, heading to Dr. Jeffer's quarters to watch a movie. They were walking along the bridge from the main staircase to the other side of the atrium, when a "gaggle", his words, of ghosts appeared in their path. Sergeant Johnston was nearby and heard the commotion; he came running and said he saw ghosts, mummies, zombies, all kinds of different figures. Johnston said the ghosts rushed the pair, and Dr. Jeffers leaned against the railing as one zoomed over him. He lost his footing, falling over the rail."

Taking a deep breath, Sheppard peered at McKay, "All right, this is seriously unfunny. Get this figured out, McKay."

Rodney glared at him, and then took off, running after Zelenka, who was returning to his lab for more equipment. The EMT's lifted Dr. Jeffers onto a Gurney and headed for the infirmary. Sheppard followed them; Woolsey intercepting him along the way. The director fell in step beside him. Reports of other sightings across the base were reverberating in their earwigs.

"Colonel…"

"You don't have to say it, Woolsey. We have to figure out what's going on, and put a stop to it before someone else gets hurt. I get it." Sheppard crossed the threshold into the infirmary, leaving Woolsey behind.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

It was nearly 0200 hours; Sheppard felt tired, sleepy, but relieved. Dr. Keller radioed that Dr. Jeffers had regained consciousness. His only lingering injury consisted of a broken radius in his left arm and a sprained neck.

He and Ronon had caught up with Rodney and Zelenka. They were in a building on the southwest pier where most of the city's supplies were stored. The Daedalus had arrived in the middle of the ghost hunt, and a crew was unloading freight from Earth, including decorations and costumes for the Halloween party Sheppard had ordered. Sheppard was now wondering if a Halloween party was a good idea.

The arrival of a lot of new faces seemed to have excited whoever was behind the ghost population. As the freight was beamed down, along with some of the Daedalus crew, the ghosts were swirling around. They were darting in and out of the stacks of containers, and popping out of the containers themselves. Upon hearing about the situation, Colonel Steven Caldwell beamed to the warehouse to see the spectacle for himself.

Caldwell walked over to Sheppard, McKay and Ronon, with a mischievous smirk on his face. "Well, seems like someone is in the Halloween spirit."

Sheppard noted that McKay and Ronon spoke to the Daedalus commander, but he had something else on his mind. Awareness of what was really going on was beginning to creep into his consciousness. If he was right, well, there would be a lot of surprised people, and a lot of questions.

He gazed about the warehouse. His eyes riveted, watching various ghosts and goblins, witches and horror movie characters floating everywhere. All the ghosts were familiar to him, from the ghost described in the story his mother read to him every Halloween when he was a child, to the horror movies that he loved. He was fairly certain that he saw Elvira floating behind a large container. Elvira was definitely one of his favorite things about Halloween.

It couldn't be; he thought. She couldn't be doing this. If she was, it meant she could read his mind, his thoughts, interpret them, and then create these images. He didn't think their connection was that intricate and involved. However, the proof was there in front of him. Every image could be traced to his memories. He became suspicious when he realized why the original ghost that Sgt. Canelli saw was familiar to him. The large blue hooded specter was the ghost from his favorite childhood story. He smiled to himself; the only thing missing was the one thing he was truly scared of as a child, clowns. Now he was going to have to tell McKay what he suspected, and listen to the scientist razz him for the next…well, eternity.

He pivoted toward McKay, to tell the scientist what he suspected, but stopped in his tracks. Whirling all around him were clowns, large, brightly-colored, horrible clowns. Startled, he quickly scrambled away from the clowns, not realizing that he crossed into the path of one of the forklifts. Seeing that his CO had backed into his path, the Marine forklift operator steered his machine abruptly to the right, hitting a stack of containers. One of the containers on top of the stack teetered from the blow. Sheppard realized that both McKay and Caldwell were in danger.

Shouting at Ronon, he shoved McKay out of harm's way, while Ronon grabbed Caldwell's arm, dragging the colonel out of danger. However, Sheppard didn't have enough time to clear out of the container's path. The large container fell on top of him, pinning him against the warehouse deck.

Sheppard was lying on his stomach, the large container across his lower back and legs. He was thankful that he could feel pain under the circumstances. He could hear McKay screaming for Keller to come to the warehouse. He then saw the scientist's bright blue eyes, filled with fear, boring into his.

"Sheppard, Sheppard, can you hear me?" McKay was yelling.

"Rodney, I'm p-pinned, not deaf." However, Sheppard realized he was very light-headed and dizzy.

"Can you feel your legs?" The question came from Caldwell, as Ronon and some of the others managed to remove the container from atop his legs.

He attempted to move his legs. He heard sighs of relief as he managed to slide his legs on the deck. "Yeah, I can feel them, but pain in my l-lower back."

Caldwell's deep voice echoed in his ear, "That's enough, don't try to move. Medics will be here in a moment."

Sheppard lifted his head, glancing around the warehouse. All the ghosts had disappeared, confirming he was right. She was behind the apparitions. When he was injured, she stopped projecting the images.

"Rodney, c-come here," McKay's face materialized in his line of vision once more. "It's Atlantis; she's creating the ghosts. All these ghosts are from my memories. She's doing it for me."

McKay's mouth fell open. He tried to speak, but only a tiny squeak emerged. Taking a deep breath, he tried again, "Atlantis, are you sure? Well, of course you are, and you have to be right. She's the only one that could transmit energy through the walls at a whim. How the hell did she know what to create? Is there something you're not telling me, Sheppard?"

Sheppard started to reply, but realized that he was about to pass out. He could hear the sound of a Gurney's wheels racing across the warehouse deck as his vision dulled to blackness.

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

He slowly became aware of the soft, consistent cadence of the monitor next to his bed. It was, unfortunately, not an unfamiliar sound. He had been in the infirmary far too many times not to recognize that beep. He also knew that the sound from the monitor was not what awoke him. He could feel her prodding him awake. He relaxed and she entered his thoughts.

"_Colonel, you are awake."_

He laughed softly, as he replied silently, "I am now, but since you are the one who woke me, you know that."

"_I have caused you distress, it was not my intention."_

"I need for you to tell me why you created these ghosts. Dr. Jeffers was hurt because of the images."

"_I assumed you would enjoy the images, colonel. I did not expect anyone, you or anyone else, to be injured. I would like to reiterate that was not my intention."_

He was silent, trying to keep his thoughts to himself. He was unsure how she had managed to uncover the images from his mind.

"_You are angry with me." _

Reaching his hand up to rub his eyes, Sheppard felt the tug of an IV in his arm. He hated IV's, and supposed he could blame Atlantis for needing one, but he wasn't going to. He only wanted to know why, and, more importantly, how she knew what to create.

"No, I'm not angry with you, although, Dr. Jeffers' injury was a very unfortunate consequence of your actions. How did you do this? How did you know what images to use? Can you read my mind? I mean, not just understand what I say to you directly, but read thoughts not intended for you."

He sucked in a deep breath, not certain that he wanted to know if she could. He waited for her response, surprised that she did not respond immediately. He sensed she was contemplating his question.

"_I always hear you, but only react to requests that you make to me, or if you are in danger. I have the capability to react to sub-conscious thought. For instance, you might think that the temperature in your quarters is chilly, and not realize you have asked to have the ambient air warmer. I will respond to that thought." _

"OK, I understand that, but how did you decide to create these ghosts?"

"_You discussed the supplies for the party with Dr. McKay and Dr. Zelenka. I noted that your heart rate and breathing increased as you spoke with them concerning the holiday, denoting pleasure. I could ascertain the thought patterns associated with those physical reactions, and create a visual image of them. Of particular note, your heart rate and breathing sped up considerably in reaction to the pattern 'Elvira….'" _

Sheppard blushed and quickly interrupted her, "OK, so you created the images. Then, as it got closer to the time for the party, you started displaying the images around Atlantis."

"_Yes, I did. I wished to 'surprise' you. I fear I have upset you. I have caused you and the other to be injured which was never my intention." _

Sheppard had thought of Atlantis as a sentient being for quite while, yet never more than this moment. He wondered if she possessed three ZPM's if their interactions would be even more involved. He hoped someday to know the answer to that question.

"I know it wasn't your intention, and I am not upset. I just want you to understand that you shouldn't surprise me in this fashion. There are others involved, and you now know they can be hurt. I do appreciate your desire to add to the experience of the holiday for me. In fact, let's talk about the party; I have an idea."

~ooo**BOO**ooo~

The Marines, scientists, and crew members from the Daedalus joined together to decorate the mess hall and the large patio outside. The twin moons were rising in the dark New Lantian sky, casting an eerie glow to the sea. All the tables were covered with black and orange tablecloths and candles. Freshly carved pumpkins and baskets of candy sat on each table. The Marines had carved the pumpkins, as they had the year before. Sheppard was fairly certain the Marines used the carving to practice their K-Bar skills, after seeing the distorted faces carved into the pumpkins.

Dr. Keller had given Sheppard an almost clean bill of health, and permission to attend the party. His legs and torso were severely bruised and he had wrenched his back. The doctor had prescribed painkillers and insisted he wear a light back-brace. She had also sent Air Force medic, Sergeant Leon "LJ" Jones, to Sheppard's quarters to help him dress for the party. LJ was 6'7", 260 pounds, and completely devoted to his CO. Keller knew he would make certain Sheppard didn't hurt himself getting dressed in his costume.

When Major Lorne arrived at Sheppard's quarters, LJ tried to stifle a laugh, but simply didn't have the strength. He burst into laughter as he looked at Sheppard and Lorne together.

"Sirs, if you don't mind my saying, Dr. McKay is gonna be pissed. I can't wait to see his face."

Both men slipped long coats over their costumes and headed for the Tower Outside the mess hall, they slipped on their masks and headgear, dropped the coats and walked into the party. LJ, now dressed as Smoky the Bear, waited outside to signal when McKay arrived.

Sheppard and Lorne caused a lot of commotion as they walked through the mess hall and onto the patio. Everyone knew that their choice of costumes was designed to aggravate a certain fussy scientist.

Woolsey, dressed as a WWII soldier, was sitting with Teyla, who was dressed in a Roaring 20's Flapper costume, Kanaan in a Zoot suit. Neither Teyla nor Kanaan fully understood the concept, but they had fallen in love with the costumes in the catalog Sheppard had given them. Torren was dressed as a dinosaur. However, a decidedly frightened dinosaur, who hid behind his mother when he saw the two men approach the table.

Ronon was dressed as a Samurai soldier; Sheppard was certain that he chose that particular costume for the sword and the sword alone. Amelia was dressed as a Geisha. Dr. Beckett and Dr. Warren had chosen to dress up as Dr. Who, numbers 10 and 11. All of them laughed heartily when they saw Sheppard and Lorne.

Teyla smiled, "I believe that Dr. McKay may be a bit angry seeing the two of you dressed as his favorite characters. I must say, John, the alteration you have made to the head piece is interesting. I cannot wait to see his face." Teyla's eyebrow raised in what Sheppard could only believe was sheer pleasure at the thought.

Colonel Caldwell, his command staff, and crew appeared on the patio to large applause, they came in unison as a football team, complete with Coach Caldwell, players, cheerleaders, referees, water boys, and it appeared Major Marks was the tiger mascot. As Sheppard watched them enter, he found himself continually surprised by Steven Caldwell. He had turned out to be a pretty decent guy.

Sheppard's com activated, and LJ warned him McKay a group of scientists were entering the mess hall. Sheppard was puzzled when LJ said, "Sir, I'm going call for EMT's to be on alert." A couple of minutes later, Sheppard was about to call the EMT's himself.

Dr. Rodney McKay and a large number of his science department entered as circus entertainers, a clown circus. Rodney was a clown 'ring master', and Jennifer was a lady clown dressed in an elegant evening gown. Dr. Jeffers, in a wheelchair, was in costume, his cast painted a neon green, being pushed by a clown nurse. A large ruffled collar barely covered the neck brace Jeffers was wearing. There were funny and sad clowns, clowns carrying a replica of a Volkswagen Beetle, going in and out of the door. They had flowers that squirted water, buckets that threw confetti, and they headed straight toward the table where Sheppard's team was sitting. Sheppard and Lorne were hiding, standing behind Caldwell and Lorne.

Rodney asked, "Where's Sheppard?"

Teyla smiled, "Oh, Rodney, Colonel Sheppard is going to be most unhappy."

McKay looked a bit nervous, "Yeah, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Then, well…it was too late to change. So, where is he?"

"Right here, Rodney." Sheppard said quietly.

Caldwell and Ronon parted to reveal Sheppard and Lorne in the persona of Batman and Robin.

McKay's happy clown face, quickly turned into a frown.

"You, you came as Batman and Robin, really, flyboy. You know they're sacred…how could you? And what the hell have you done to Batman's skull cap? Did you cut a hole in the cap for your hair? You did; oh, that's just sick vanity, really."

Sheppard gingerly took a step forward to stand directly in front of 'Clown' Rodney. "You are dressed as a clown, and nearly your entire department is in clown suits. You did this because you know how I feel about clowns. I don't like clowns, Rodney, and after the events of early morning, I like them even less." Sheppard looked angry, and Rodney was starting to sweat.

"Well, it was meant to be a joke, my timing is just bad."

"You think?"

"Oh, come on Sheppard, it's all in good fun. Except, that you are mocking Batman and Robin, so what's up with that?"

"It's good to mock, Rodney."

Sheppard turned to the crowd who was watching Batman and the clown intently, "Time to get this party started, Happy Halloween, everyone."

Sheppard snapped his fingers and the ghosts, goblins and other apparitions that had haunted the city for the last couple of days appeared, mingling with the crowd to everyone's amusement. Sheppard sat down, rather gingerly on his sore backside, and Rodney sat across from him.

"I'm a dead man, aren't I?" Rodney lamented.

Sheppard didn't answer immediately. He was intently watching a comely Elvira float past him. Finally, and quietly, he replied, "Yes; yes, you are, Rodney. You should enjoy your Halloween."

Rodney sighed, and began eating candy from the basket on the table. Sheppard watched him for a second, thinking sometimes the tricks were better than the treats. He loved Halloween.

_The end…._

_

* * *

_

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

_Hope you enjoyed! Let me know!_


End file.
